I agree that the future is bright, but when I think back to these four years it will be more about missed opportunities than banner moments.
2020 was nobody's fault, obviously. 2021 we should have been a Sweet 16 team and completely collapsed against Houston. That game bothers me more than anything else: Sweet 16 opportunities like that don't come around often and we blew it. 2022 we got stuck in the First Four and lost to what I believe was an inferior Notre Dame team.
We all know what happened this year. Yes, RU was probably should have made the NCAAs during what was supposed to be a transition year. But when you build a record like we had and collapse down the stretch, especially against a pathetic team like Minnesota that we led late in commanding fashion, that is a catastrophic failure.
The silver lining is the louder voices in our fanbase have now been humbled (and even silenced in some cases). Never again is Rutgers a tournament "lock" unless and until they win the Big Ten and/or hear their names called on Selection Sunday. The coaches and players will have to earn it and that's exactly how it should be. No more assumptions or acting like the committee will hand anything to us.